


25 Days of Christmas

by niallszayn



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:36:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 7,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niallszayn/pseuds/niallszayn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>500 words, every day</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> this year, i'm participating in a great [challenge that i found on tumblr](http://kissingziall.tumblr.com/post/134257890180/1dpromptchallenges-25-days-of-christmas-writing), where i'm supposed to write 500 words for a prompt every day. i can't promise i'll actually find time to do this every day, since i'm also supposed to finish my big bang fic in time and, like, work and live...but i'll do my best! i love the idea for sure :)

The thing was, it was Christmas, and it was Zayn’s last year of school.

This would be the last time he’d be on the Hogwarts Express like this, gliding through the wintery world outside and taking most of the students home for Christmas.

It made him nostalgic, somehow, and a little bit sad. Zayn also knew, though, he’d be wallowing for the whole holiday if he wouldn’t do this now, just like he had over summer. There was a big chance he’d be wallowing either way, obviously, but at least he’d have a reason then.

With a deep breath, Zayn pushed the door to their compartment open. “Niall”, he said, and the boy looked up from where he’d been explaining something to Liam. Judging from his shining eyes it might’ve had something to do with astrology, but it could’ve been almost anything else. Niall was brilliant like that. “Would you come with me for a second?”

“Uh”, Niall made, glancing at Harry who was elbowing him over and over for some reason warningly, “sure.”

Louis raised his eyebrows at Zayn and then shot him a thumbs up while Liam tried to wink, except he still couldn’t do it with just one eye which meant he sort of blinked at Zayn exaggeratedly.

Zayn’s heart had migrated to somewhere in his throat, he was pretty sure, or alternatively to a place near his feet. It was beating fast either way as he led Niall down the narrow corridor of the Hogwarts Express, past all of the compartments filled with noisy students of all ages.

“Where are we going, Zayn?” Niall asked and Zayn turned around to look at him for a moment. He’d already changed out of his robe and the yellow and black tie, into a pair of dark jeans and a soft looking jumper in light blue that brought out the colour of his eyes.

“Here”, he said. They’d reached a quieter part of the train, with no one else in sight. Niall smiled and turned to the window, taking in the snowed in landscape.

“So beautiful”, he breathed.

“Yeah”, Zayn agreed quietly, but he wasn’t looking outside.

When Niall turned back around to Zayn, his face was soft. “What did you bring me here for?”

Zayn looked up at the mistletoe above them and then back down at Niall, smiling carefully and lifting his hand even more carefully to brush his fingers across Niall’s cheek. Niall’s eyes were wide, his face hot. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, god,  _yes_ ”, Niall mumbled and then his hands were in Zayn’s jumper, pulling him in. He kissed him once, twice, then pulled back again. “I’ve only been waiting for  _ages_.”

Zayn grinned brightly, combing a hand through Niall’s hair and tilting his head back to kiss him once more. “Yeah? Me too.”

“Not just the mistletoe, then?” Niall asked, insecurity sneaking into his voice.

Zayn slid his hands down Niall’s arms and entangled their fingers. “Absolutely not just the mistletoe.”

Niall smiled.


	2. Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> managed another one :))

“...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

Niall was at the stove when Zayn came in, stirring and singing softly. He was wearing a knitted jumper with snowflakes on, white on dark blue, and his checkered pyjama pants. It should clash, it _did_ clash, but mostly, he looked incredibly cute.

“Why am I not surprised you’re all christmassy already?” Zayn asked and Niall spun around, grin spreading across his face.

“Hi! You’re here.”

Zayn smiled and took a step closer, dropping a kiss to Niall’s lips. “Course I am. Where else would I be?”

Niall shrugged cheerfully and curled a hand around Zayn’s hip, pulling him in so he could press his nose against Zayn’s neck. “You’re cold”, he mumbled and rubbed his hands up and down Zayn’s arms twice. “Taste this!”

He reached for the spoon in the pot he’d been stirring and brought it up to Zayn’s mouth.

“What are you cooking?” Zayn asked, looking down at the pale coloured soup before opening his mouth dutifully.

“It’s a potato soup with apple and ginger”, Niall explained. “I found it online, it’s a Christmas recipe.”

Zayn swallowed. “It’s good, Ni. But Christmas? It’s only the second, there’s more than three weeks left.”

“Don’t be a grump, you can never start too early”, Niall teased, kissing Zayn’s cheek. “I already put in the _Love, Actually_ DVD, why don’t you go sit down and try to get in the mood?”

Zayn laughed. “I honestly don’t know anyone as obsessed with Christmas as you are, babe. But alright, I’ll do it for you. I won’t watch it without you, though.”

“Shh, I’ll join you in a minute”, Niall said, giving him a soft shove towards the kitchen door. “D’you want the soup now or some Christmas cookies first?”

“You’ve already made Christmas cookies?”

“I’ll take that as a yes to the cookies. And only one kind.” Zayn was already halfway to the TV when Niall called after him: “Oh and light the candles, will you?”

Fondly, Zayn shook his head but did as he was told, locating the candles Niall had lovingly placed all around their living room and lighting them all. He sat down on the sofa then, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and pulling his legs up, remote in hand.

Niall came in with a plate full of freshly baked cookies and the smell immediately filled the whole room. He turned off the big light and sat down next to Zayn, setting the plate down in front of them.

“You got room under that blanket?” he asked quietly.

“For you, always”, Zayn smiled and lifted the blanket, pulling Niall in and dropping a kiss to the top of his head.

The other boy cuddled close and pressed play, and Zayn had to admit that in the dim light, ice crystals on the window, the smell of Christmas cookies and candles in the air and a warm body pressed against his, it did kind of feel like Christmas already.

 

 


	3. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a mood prompt but tbh i think i did a pretty shitty job at conveying the mood of a "winter wonderland" - hope you enjoy it anyway :)

“This is insane”, Niall said incredulously, holding on to Zayn's arm to look down to where his feet had sunken into the snow they’d been walking on - and his legs, up to his knees.

“Isn't it?”, Zayn agreed, steadying him with a hand on his hip. Not that Niall could feel it through all of his layers, but it was nice nonetheless, caring. “Don't think I've ever seen this much snow. Especially not in England.”

“Me neither”, Niall said, pushing his hat up when it slid down his forehead into his eyes again. “Why are we taking a walk again?”

“It's beautiful, innit?” Zayn looked around from under his beanie, taking in their surroundings. And Niall supposed that it really was pretty, picturesque even, like a motive from a postcard.

They'd bundled up before leaving the house, jumpers and coats and scarves and hats and gloves and boots keeping them warm. At least for as long as they kept walking.

Niall shivered. “Come on, we should keep moving. Plus, you promised me hot chocolate by the fireplace for when we get home again.”

“And I keep my promises”, Zayn grinned and pressed his cold lips to Niall’s cheek for a moment before reaching for his hand. Holding hands was a bit pointless with their thick mittens but Niall still clung to Zayn just because he could. “‘s romantic, don’t you think?”

“What, you think me freezing my arse off is romantic?” Niall teased.

Zayn gave him a shove and pulled him right back in by the hand he was still holding, hard enough so Niall bumped into him with a laugh that got louder when Zayn reached around and groped his arse exaggeratedly.

“Just checking”, he grinned. “It’s still all there.”

“Through my clothes and everything, all those layers? How can you be sure?” Niall raised a sceptical eyebrow.

“Wait until we get home, I’ll check for real then”, Zayn promised and Niall giggled, bumping their cold noses together and then kissing him.

Zayn’s grip on his bum tightened and he deepened the kiss with a flick of his tongue that Niall welcomed all too easily - until the cold started to creep in from his feet and through his layers and he pulled away reluctantly.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I was freezing my arse off, you know?”

“It _is_ bloody cold”, Zayn agreed. “We can continue that at home.”

“I’ll hold you to that”, Niall laughed.

They trudged through the snow in silence, mostly, holding hands but not saying much – it _was_ pretty romantic, there was no denying that.

A thick layer of snow covered everything, icicles hanging from low branches, snowflakes falling from the sky slowly, as if they were in slow motion. The air was clear and cold, biting almost and Zayn and Niall ducked their heads against it, leaving footprints in the deep snow.

The whole world was bright and quiet, covered by a white blanket, and neither boy wanted to disturb it.

 


	4. Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a birthday present for my friend allie who wanted smut - so i came up with smut to a prompt for hot chocolate with heart shaped marshmallows lol

“What’s this, then?” Zayn asked when he sat down on the sofa next to Niall. “You trying to seduce me with hot chocolate?”

“ _And_ heart shaped marshmallows”, Niall grinned. “You gotta admit that’s pretty good. I went all out.”

He ignored Zayn’s laughter and handed him the huge mug, filled to the brim with creamy hot chocolate, topped with small marshmallows. Niall really liked those, actually. He hadn’t been able to walk past them at the store earlier.

“Fair enough”, Zayn said and took the mug from him. “I do feel quite spoiled.”

“I plan on spoiling you a lot more today”, Niall said, intentionally pitching his voice lower than usual. He flicked his tongue out and licked along the brim of his own mug, watching, pleased, as Zayn’s eyes tracked the movement.

Zayn cleared his throat and took a gulp of his hot chocolate. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Well”, Niall slid closer, “finish your hot chocolate and I’ll let you know.”

Almost subconsciously, Zayn leaned into him and shook his head lightly. “You’re actually the worst person I know.”

Niall smirked and pressed a kiss to the soft skin below his ear, making Zayn hiss. “You love me anyway.”

Zayn sighed exaggeratedly. “Unfortunately.”

He’d emptied his mug suspiciously quickly though, and Niall chuckled, placing his own one next to Zayn’s on the coffee table.

When he turned back, Zayn didn’t give him time to say anything, just pulled him in with a hand on the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. Niall hummed and let Zayn climb into his lap, hands gliding down his sides to settle firmly on his butt.

“D’you still want me to tell you what I want to do to spoil you?” he mumbled, lips sliding along Zayn’s jaw and down to his throat to bite lightly.

“No”, Zayn gasped and rocked forward. “No, I’m gonna tell you what I want you do. Your stupid plan has worked, I’m all worked up already and we’ve not done anything yet.”

Niall shrugged and tried to seem nonchalant despite of Zayn’s hands on his chest under his shirt and the pressure of his boner against his own hardening cock. “Well, I did rim you for like half an hour not that long ago.”

“Fuck”, Zayn groaned, pulling his own shirt off in a hurry before tugging on Niall’s. “Yeah, I remember, thank you very much. Which is why I’m gonna need you to fuck me right here on this sofa, preferably within the next ten minutes.”

“What if I wanted to go out today?” Niall acted coy.

Abruptly, Zayn stood up and shoved his sweats and pants down in one go. “You don’t.”

“Jesus”, Niall said, pushing at his own pair until he was naked too. “I really, really don’t.”

„Told you“, Zayn smirked, and then he was back in Niall’s lap, skin on skin, and Niall _wanted_. “Now, get to work.”

Their mugs stood forgotten on the table next to them.


	5. Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> christmas elves yay :))

With a deep sigh Niall put together what he vowed was the last toy for today. He'd been working for ten hours straight, he deserved a break - even if it was only three weeks left until Christmas. A little less, even, and the stress was tangible wherever he went. At his own workplace, at the sweets shop he liked to help out, at the bakery Harry worked at - all the elves were working hard to get done in time.

They were doing fine time wise though, as far as Niall could tell, and he could easily leave in time.

Instead, he'd be leaving in a few minutes with enough time left to go over to the sweets shop in the hopes of running into a certain elf working there. He did this a lot, going over there after he'd finished his own work to help them out since they had a slightly different work schedule. It had started out with him genuinely wanting to help after he'd seen them having an emergency when he walked past on his way home one day and had quickly merged into an excuse for spending time with Zayn.

Zayn, who was the prettiest elf Niall had ever seen, gentle and quietly funny and smart and whatever else that Niall still had to discover. He wanted to know everything about him.

He hung his gloves and the ugly apron he had to wear for work on the hook designated to him and left the Toy Making building.

When he arrived at the sweets shop, he could already see Zayn from the door but it was Louis who spotted him first, waving happily. “Back already, Nialler?” he asked. “Missed us so much?”

“Not us, Lou”, Liam piped up from beside Louis, looking Zayn's way very obviously.

Niall blushed furiously and Zayn chose this exact moment to spot him, grinning and waving him over.

“Go on”, Liam said, giving him a soft shove.

“And get your love life in order”, Louis added.

Niall flipped them off and walked over to where Zayn was lovingly forming chocolate into perfectly round balls. He took the spot next to him, getting ready to wrap them in gold and red paper.

“Thought you wouldn't come anymore”, Zayn said. “I missed you.”

“Missed you, too”, Niall said, heart pounding. “I always come, though.”

“I'm glad you do”, Zayn said and when Niall looked over to him from the corner of his eye, he was already looking. “I was wondering...how busy are you usually after work?”

“Not very”, Niall said probably way too quickly.

“Cool”, Zayn nodded. “Would you maybe want to do something sometime?”

Niall grinned so big his cheeks hurt. “I'd love that. As a…date?”

“Of course”, Zayn smiled and when he leaned over to kiss Niall’s cheek softly, Niall heard Louis and Liam woop from the other side of the room, barely audible over his own blood rushing in his ears. Happy didn’t even begin to cover it.

 


	6. Day 6

“New Year's, hopefully”, Niall had said. “I'll try to make it back in time.”

Zayn thought about that while he strung up the Christmas lights the way Niall usually did. Except for this year, because he hadn't been home for four weeks already and now he wouldn't be back in time for his favourite holiday.

“There's nothing I can do, Z”, he'd said over the phone the other day. “We can't leave here before the project is finished and it won't be done by Christmas. You've never been that big on Christmas anyway, you'll be fine, yeah?”

And Zayn had said, yeah, of course, just come home as soon as possible. He didn't tell Niall that he’d loved Christmas ever since Niall was there to bake and sing and decorate and cuddle. He loved it because Niall loved it and he loved Niall.

Zayn couldn't even be mad because he was so proud of Niall for getting to be a part of this project, a big step on his way to becoming a renowned scientist. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he'd never tell Niall to give it up for anything.

So Zayn did it by himself, all the baking and decorations - less of the singing though, because it felt pointless without Niall, and no cuddling at all. Still, it made him feel better to have everything look the same as always, more like Niall wasn't really gone.

Every day, someone sent a card or rang to wish them a Merry Christmas, and every day, Zayn lit candles and sang Christmas carols with his students, and every night on the phone with Niall, the words were on the tip of his tongue. _Please come home for Christmas._

In the morning of Christmas Eve, it started snowing, soft white covering everything outside. It made Zayn even sadder that this seemed to be the perfect Christmas for everyone else while he was alone, missing Niall so much it hurt.

He spent the day aimlessly lounging around the flat and wrapping presents that Niall wouldn’t be opening and on the phone with his mum, pretending everything was fine.

When it was late enough for him to start wondering what to make for dinner, there was a knock on the door. Zayn frowned. All of his friends had their own partners or families, and he wasn't expecting anyone.

Slowly, he pulled the door open and there in the doorstep, bundled up with red cheeks and a bright smile, was Niall.

“Merry Christmas!”

Zayn just stood there for a moment, mouth agape. “You're…”, he tried. “You came.”

“Did you really think I'd let anything keep me away from you at Christmas?”

“What about the project?”

“Everything taken care of. Will you let me come in?”

And just like that, the spell was broken. Zayn laughed and pulled Niall inside, hugging him as tightly as possible. “I'm so happy you're home.”

“Me too”, Niall smiled and finally kissed him. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> later than usually but i've not missed a day yet, yay !


	7. Day 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first lilo! apart from them as a side pairing. but honestly, it couldn't be anything else. side ziall because i am trash and can't do anything without them  
> this was 700 words long at first and i had to delete way too much :((

Niall was laughing when he came home from work on Monday evening, which wasn’t as unusual as one might think. His face wasn’t always this red though, and he didn’t usually clutch his stomach, looking about to fall over.

“You okay, Nialler?” Liam asked, not quite able to hold a smile in, Niall’s laugh was one of those that made you want to laugh along. “What’s so funny?”

“Did you-”, he wheezed, “Have you been outside today?”

“Yeah, this morning, why?” Liam asked and watched as Niall laughed even harder, something that had seemed impossible to him.

“So you haven’t seen...oh my god.”

“Haven’t seen what?” Liam asked, beginning to worry that Niall would choke since he hadn’t breathed in for like a minute.

“I think”, Niall said, gasping for air, “I think you should look for yourself.”

Frowning, Liam watched as Niall sat down on the floor and pulled his phone out, seemingly done telling him anything. He’d made him curious though, so he slipped his boots on and opened the door, just as Niall started speaking into his phone. “Babe, get this -”

Curiously, he looked around in search for what had made Niall laugh, but all he could see were the Christmas decorations he’d put up over the weekend. He’d gone all out this year, lights on the house and in the trees, stars, a Santa in their front yard - it looked the same though, nothing funny about it. Slowly, he made his way through their yard and looked up and down the street - nothing.

He saw it when he turned back around.

There, on the house next to theirs, it was - no Christmas decorations, just one word made from Christmas lights, huge and underlined with an arrow. TWAT.

Outraged, Liam stormed back inside where Niall was still on the phone, “You need to see it, Zayn, it’s huge - yeah, hurry up, I miss you.”

“That”, Liam heaved. “That bloody arsehole, _he_ is the twat, what does he think -”

“Why don’t you go over”, Niall interrupted him, “and tell him? And sort out that sexual tension.”

“There’s no -”, Liam started but gave up quickly, rushing over to pound at his neighbour’s door.

“Louis”, he shouted. “Open your damn door!”

“Liam”, Louis said, opening the door. “What a pleasure.”

“You’re such a twat”, Liam spat out and Louis grinned cheerfully, pointing at the lights over their heads.

“No, that’s you.”

“Argh”, Liam made and he’d suddenly grabbed Louis by his collar.

The other man just raised an eyebrow. “You gonna punch me?”

Liam shoved him up against the wall, but every word died in his throat when he looked down at Louis, watching him with his damn blue eyes, and suddenly he was kissing him and Louis made the softest sound in his throat and kissed him back, one hand going to the back of his head and the other slipping under his shirt at his hip.

Maybe Niall had been right.


	8. Day 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so bayberry was one of the prompt words and i had to google quite a lot to figure out what it was and meant lol  
> this is lirry because why not? i'm trying out some things haha

“What’s this?” Liam asked when Harry handed him a neatly wrapped package.

Harry rolled his eyes fondly. “Open it, you’ll see.”

“I didn’t get you anything”, Liam kept complaining. “We said not to do presents this year.”

“It’s just something small, Liam”, Harry said. “I don’t need you to give me something, too. And everyone else stuck to the rule, too, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Niall gave Louis a bathrobe”, Liam contradicted. “With his initials on.”

“Yeah, but as a joke”, Harry insisted. “Shut up, Liam, just open your present.”

Liam gave him The Look and Harry laughed, leaned forward to kiss his cheek. It pacified Liam enough to get him to slowly undo the ribbons Harry had carefully tied around the package, mindful not to rip the paper.

“I have never seen anyone unwrap a present this slowly”, Harry chuckled and Liam rolled his eyes  at him.

“You’re one to talk about doing things slowly.” He’d opened the paper far enough to see what was inside of it and frowned down at it and then at Harry. “What’s this? Candles?”

“Those are Bayberry Candles”, Harry said. “It’s an American thing, a legend, if you will. If you light them at Christmas - or was it New Year’s? - it means you’re going to be healthy and gain money.”

Liam smiled a little. “Thank you, Harry. Can’t hurt to light ‘em then, can it?”

“Probably not”, Harry smiled and reached out for Liam’s hand, toying with his fingers. “There’s another meaning, though.”

“Is there?” Liam asked quietly.

“Mhm”, Harry hummed and looked back up at Liam. “Those bayberry candles were very fancy back then, so you only lit them on special occasions or for special people. So…it says, if you give them to someone it’s to make sure your relationship gets even closer. And stays close.”

Liam could literally feel his face softening as he closed his fingers around Harry’s and squeezed. “Typical of you to give me something American with an obscure meaning, huh?”

“Heeyy”, Harry said and pouted at him. “I picked them out with love.”

Liam grinned and kissed his pouty lips. “I know. Love you.”

“Well.” Harry said and Liam pinched his thigh, making him yelp. “Alright. Love you, too. Are you gonna light them?”

“Now?” Liam asked. “I thought it had to be Christmas. Or New Year’s? Maybe we should google it first.”

“Liam”, Harry interrupted. “I’ll give you another batch to light them then, if you want, but I’ve got plans for tonight that involve candles burning next to us.”

“Oh? Ever the romantic, you.”

“I do what I can”, Harry smirked.

“Do you want to do it on the sofa again?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Because I’m not taking the candles to my bedroom.”

“I don’t really care”, Harry said and took the candles from Liam’s hands. “I just want to get fucked.”

Not much later, candles flickering atmospherically next to them, Harry got just what he wanted.


	9. Day 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for missing Day 9!! i just didn't find time...  
> back to ziall for this one though :)) again, this could've been way longer

Zayn’s fingers were already cold again when he sat down on his sofa, his shower only having helped momentarily. The cup of tea in his hands was trying its best but his walk home from work had turned him into an icicle, pretty much.

He’d just settled down with a blanket around his shoulder, wondering which film to put on tonight, when his doorbell rang.

Zayn groaned a little, put his mug down and trudged towards the door with the blanket around his shoulders like a cape.

“Zaynie!” Niall said as soon as Zayn could see him and Zayn couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. Niall was hopping up and down on his doorstep, decked out in a hat, a big scarf and coat and cute mittens on his hands. “Harry and I are going Christmas caroling!”

“Um, cool?” Zayn said, wondering if Niall would come in for the duration of their talk, the draft coming in from the hallway was already making him shiver. “Have fun.”

Niall frowned and shook his head at Zayn. Without saying anything, he pushed Zayn back into his flat and followed him, closing the door behind them. He was thoughtful and attentive like that, and Zayn’s heart ached a little bit. “Come on,” Niall said. “Go Christmas caroling with us. It will be fun!”

“What?”

“Harry is getting Louis and Liam as we speak, don’t be a spoilsport.”

The fact that Zayn was out in the cold ten minutes later, bundled up, was completely down to him being embarrassingly gone for Niall.

“Niall, I’m cold”, he complained, even before they’d met up with the rest of their friends.

“Stop whining, you big baby”, Niall laughed, but he wrapped an arm around Zayn’s shoulders anyway. Zayn curled into it happily and Niall chuckled, stopping so he could wrap Zayn up in a proper hug. Zayn hummed and pressed his cold nose to Niall’s neck, breathing in his scent.

“Oi!” a voice that Zayn knew all too well yelled. “You two just gonna cuddle or are we doing what Harold told us we were?”

“Christmas caroling!” Niall cheered but didn’t let go of Zayn, who would be happy to just stay where he was.

Thankfully, Niall didn’t seem all too willing to let go either, which was how they ended up stumbling more than walking, arms around each other - to their friends’ great amusement.

“This is ridiculous”, Louis grumbled but Harry cooed at them and even Liam tried winking. Zayn blushed but Niall only tightened his hold on him which made Zayn smile. Maybe he had reason to be hopeful.

Later, after they’d bickered about which Christmas songs to sing, deciding not to go for the classics, when they rang doorbells and some people actually opened their door despite of the boys’ loud giggling, and when Niall didn’t take his eyes off him while he belted out “All I want for Christmas is you”, he didn’t look away either, feeling pretty hopeful.


	10. Day 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another picture prompt - an ice skating rink :)

“I am going to fall”, Niall said. “No, seriously. There’s no way I won’t.”

“Babe”, Zayn said, a little exasperated but mostly fond. “I promise I’ll catch you, if you do.”

“Harry broke his foot last year!”

“Yeah, because he thought it was a good idea to pull some kind of stunt”, Zayn snorted. “We’re just going ice skating, regular, boring skating. You’ll survive.”

Niall sighed. “You’re lucky I love you so much.”

“I know I am”, Zayn smiled and leaned forward to press his lips to Niall’s cheek quickly. “Love you, too.”

Niall pouted. “Was that all?”

“Well, we’re on the tube -”

Niall just shrugged, “Oh, I’ve seen worse”, and then proceeded to pull Zayn in by the lapels of his coat and kissed him straight on the mouth.

Almost by instinct, Zayn’s arm wound up around Niall’s waist, holding him close to kiss him back happily.

When they pulled away, Niall had the loveliest flush high on his cheeks and Zayn swooped right back in to kiss him again.

“This better?” he mumbled and Niall laughed a little, letting go of Zayn’s coat slowly.

“Much better.” He tucked his face into the crook of Zayn’s neck and snuggled close, nose pressing into Zayn’s warm skin.

“Come on”, Zayn said a little while later, squeezing Niall’s waist. “The next stop is ours.”

“Don’t wanna”, Niall mumbled without moving, lips brushing Zayn’s throat.

“Niall”, Zayn nudged him, drawing his name out. “Please?”

Sighing deeply, Niall finally straightened up. “Alright. Let’s do this, then.”

The ice skating rink was big and crowded, decorated with Christmas lights and a huge tree. It looked pretty in the dark, and Niall stopped struggling to let Zayn get them skates. “We can get hot chocolate after”, he’d promised. “Now let me get those skates.”

While Niall waited for Zayn to return, he watched the people already skating, most of them looking pretty professional and intimidating to him. He knew Zayn had gone ice skating quite often in his childhood, but he hadn’t - his only memories were embarrassing ones.

Zayn helped him put on the skates when he got back, which was surprisingly nice. He was great when they stepped onto the rink too, careful not to overestimate Niall while not making him feel completely useless either. Niall held onto Zayn’s hand tightly, wobbling a little, and thought that this wasn’t so bad.

“This isn’t so bad”, he said to Zayn who turned his head to smile at him brightly at the exact moment Niall lost his balance and tumbled sideways, pulling Zayn with him.

He yelped when he fell on the ice butt-first and Zayn braced himself with his hands on either side of Niall so he wouldn’t crush him, eyes wide.

“You okay, babe?”

Niall burst out laughing and nodded, causing Zayn to grin down at him, too. “I like this position better anyway”, he grinned and leaned down to kiss Niall.

Ice skating suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea.


	11. Day 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for missing day 12 and 13 - busy weekend  
> here's another sappy ziall one

“Look, it’ll be dark by five p.m.”, Niall argued, “if we put on scarves and hats no one will even look twice! It’s perfect.”

“There are lights everywhere, Niall”, Zayn sighed. “What if someone does look twice?”

“Stop worrying! It’s Winter Wonderland and I’ve always wanted to go - plus, when are we ever in London before Christmas, with time to actually do stuff like this? Please, it’d make me so happy.”

“That is such an unfair card to play”, Zayn complained, but Niall could see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You know all I ever wanna do is make you happy.”

Niall bit his lip to keep the smile at bay and swayed forward to peck Zayn’s lips. “You do make me happy.”

Zayn sighed exaggeratedly. “Alright then, we’ll go. If I get a proper kiss first.”

That was something Niall could do.

 

They got to the Hyde Park Christmas festival at five p.m. sharp on a Monday afternoon - it was almost dark and there were plenty of people around, no one even noticed the two young men decked out in scarves and warm hats.

“See”, Niall said, gripping Zayn’s hand a little tighter. “It’ll be fine.”

He was taking everything in with wide eyes, the lights and Christmas decorations, the rides, the bars and restaurants, the music and the sound of voices everywhere.

“It’s...big”, he said, and Zayn laughed a little.

“This isn’t your thing at all, is it?”

Niall grinned and hid his face behind his hand for a moment. “Not really, it’s so...kitschy, I don’t know. Not what Christmas is about, for me. And there’s too many people.”

“Well, you wanted to go”, Zayn teased. “So we’re staying. Unless of course it gets too much with how crowded it is, I’ll get you out of here as quickly as possible then.”

“Okay”, Niall chuckled and kissed Zayn’s cheek quickly. “Let’s do this.”

They walked around for close to an hour, squeezing past other visitors and looking at the huts and rides covered in fake snow, lights and glitter, watched a few performances by artists of all kind and tried to decide on a restaurant to have dinner at (“The Bavarian Village, Zayn! It’s like we’re in Germany!”, “Let’s try The Outpost, they have live music!”), until Zayn stopped them in front of the ferris wheel.

“You don’t wanna go on there, do you?” Niall frowned. “I know you’re not big on heights, and look at the queue!”

Zayn shook his head and pulled Niall close with an arm around his waist. “I booked us a VIP pod in advance”, he explained. “No queueing necessary. I knew you’d probably want to do it.”

Niall just stared at him, then grabbed his face between his hands and kissed him, hard. “Have I told you I love you lately? I’ll hold your hand all the while we’re up there.”

Zayn smiled and kissed him again. “I’ll be fine then, won’t I? Love you, too.”


	12. Day 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kinda bad and im sorry - didn't really have time lately like i did at the beginning of december so these have been a bit irregular. i'll try my best to get back on track! thanks for any kudos and comments, they mean a lot :)  
> ot5 with a lil bit of ziall

“Let’s not make a big deal out of it, yeah?” Zayn said. “I want to do this just because it’s the right thing to do, not to make people talk about how charitable we are.”

“No, I absolutely agree”, Liam nodded. “This was a good idea, Zayn.”

“Well, it was sort of Niall’s idea, it happened when we-”

“I don’t want to hear anything about the things the two of you do together”, Louis interrupted. “I’m glad this whole”, he made a big gesture with his hands, “thing only happened after Zayn left the band, which reduces the danger of me walking in on you significantly.”

Niall laughed loudly, but his face was bright red. “Shut up, Tommo.”

Louis lifted his hands in mock surrender and rolled his eyes when Zayn pulled Niall in by the waist and Niall sat down on his lap as if it was the most normal thing to do.

Harry watched everything with a faint smile, just happy they were doing this again - hanging out, all five of them. They'd finally made their peace with the changed situation, Niall quicker than the rest of them, and they were starting to fall back into their easy friendship from back before everything changed.

And now they were sat here, a bit over a week before Christmas, because of an idea Niall and Zayn had had. It was a nice idea, admittedly, since it was the season of giving and all, Harry just wasn't sure what they needed to hold this meeting for. All they had to do was pick a charity to donate to, that was all this was about. He sure as hell wouldn't be complaining though, them being together again felt way too good to cut it short. Still, if maybe they sped up just a little bit -

“What if we each pick a charity to give to?” he suggested, and all four faces turned to him. “We'd spread what we're giving, or better yet, we each pick two charities. I don't know how much money we're talking but let's be honest, all of us have earned more than we could ever spend already so we can be quite generous, I think.”

“Are you trying to bring this meeting to an early end, Haz?” Niall teased, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

“Sort of”, Harry shrugged.

“Already sick of us, mate?” Liam didn't manage to keep the hurt out of his voice entirely and Harry grinned, shaking his head.  

“No, I just want to end the business part of tonight so we can order some food”, he explained, “move to the lounge and have a chill evening. I've missed this, hanging out with my boys.”

„I’ve missed you, too“, Zayn said quietly and Niall pressed a kiss to his temple, then turned to smile at them all.

“Group hug?” he asked.

They spent the rest of the night just like Harry had wished they would – in a puppy pile, cuddling like old times.


	13. Day 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> could've been at least twice as long again...

_Niall Horan_

Zayn looked down at the name and smiled faintly. He'd thought that doing Secret Santa in university was a bit strange and childish, but now that he'd drawn this name...it didn’t seem that unnecessary anymore.

Niall was one of the popular type, always surrounded by a crowd of adoring people - as far as Zayn could tell, it was mostly because he was a funny guy, nice to everyone. And Zayn would really like to get to know him, had since their first week of classes. He’d always been too shy to approach him though, not even necessarily because of Niall himself but mostly because of the people around him. He was never alone, and Zayn didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of all of these people.

Being Niall’s Secret Santa opened up a whole lot of new possibilities, though. Zayn already had plenty of ideas for the week until Christmas, they were supposed to do something every day. He’d draw something, maybe write a letter listing the reasons Niall drew everyone in, maybe even write a poem. For reveal day, he’d have personalised guitar picks done, since Niall was almost always carrying around his guitar and Zayn could design them. He knew a guy who produced these things quite cheaply.

Throughout the week, Zayn got very thoughtful presents from his own Secret Santa and he wasn’t sure if he liked those or Niall’s smile whenever he found another present better. First was a letter where his person told him he’d noticed him a while ago, the quiet boy who could get really into discussions if he was interested in the topic and seemed completely absorbed in his notebook and whatever he put in there when he was not. On Monday morning, he found a cup of coffee on his desk, still warm and absolutely delicious. He got a pack of new pencils and a funny poem - by someone called dacraic93@icloud.com to his school e-mail address, spread out over the weekend.

The day of the reveal Zayn was just looking for Niall, box containing the guitar picks he’d designed in hand, when the latter suddenly stood in front of him with a huge smile on his face.

“Zayn!” he said, and all Zayn could think was _he knows my name?_. “Surprise, I’m your Secret Santa!”

Zayn’s first reaction was to laugh because seriously? There were almost 100 students playing this, and they’d gotten _each other_?

“What?” Niall asked, frowning. “Am I missing something?”

Zayn shook his head, still laughing, and lifted his hand with the present. “I’m yours, too.”

Niall smirked. „Well, that’s a bit quicker than I expected, can I take you out for dinner first?”

Zayn blushed furiously. “I didn’t mean…”, he stammered, then nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Niall gave him a beautiful new notebook and a kiss on the cheek for the guitar picks he said he loved, and Zayn thought this had gone even better than he’d hoped.

 

 


	14. Day 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i've missed so many days!!

“Did it have to be this huge?” Zayn asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “It's taking up half of the lounge.”

Niall shrugged cheerfully. “I've always wanted a big Christmas tree but we never had enough space at home and it didn't make sense to get one when i was barely home around Christmas but now I am, and we're celebrating together so there was no other way.”

They'd fought about the size of the Christmas tree a little, actually, but Zayn had lost ground quickly when Niall had reminded him of the massive Christmas tree he'd put up a couple of years before - and Zayn obviously had to give in so Niall wouldn't feel unappreciated.

“Even if we put up both of our decorations it won't be enough”, Zayn complained. “And they won't match.”

“Aw”, Niall made teasingly. “Didn't know everything always had to match perfectly for you. Besides, why wouldn't they match? Have you got some sort of special Christmas tree decorations?”

“They’re green and purple”, Zayn explained. “They’ll clash with yours.”

“They won’t”, Niall insisted. “Mine are white and brown-ish, it’ll be fine. We should get some more fairy lights, though, this tree really is massive.”

“We’ll need more ornaments too, I reckon”, Zayn said. “I saw the tiny box yours are in, it’ll never be enough.”

“Let’s get new ones, then!” Niall grinned. “Our first joined Christmas decorations.”

They debated going to the shops together for a moment but quickly decided against it, it’d just get them too much attention. Instead, they settled down on the couch with Niall’s laptop and a mug with hot chocolate each.

“Go on, then”, Zayn said, resting his head against Niall’s shoulder. “What do we want?”

“I say keep it simple with the lights”, Niall suggested. “I don’t like these flashing, colourful ones, let’s get the regular white ones, alright?”

“Yeah, okay”, Zayn said. “The tree will probably already be colourful enough with all of these differently coloured decorations. No tinsel then, I suppose?”

“God, no”, Niall laughed. “That’d be a bit much. What colour ornaments do you think?”

Zayn considered this for a minute. “Let’s go gold.”

“Gold?”

Zayn still didn’t lift his head from Niall’s shoulder, just a hand to count his arguments with his fingers, raising one with every point he made. “Yeah, it won’t clash with any of the colours we already have, it’s Christmassy and not one we already own. Plus it’s usual enough so we can be sure to get it somewhere.”

Niall shrugged, jostling Zayn’s head a little and pressing an apologetic kiss to the top of his head. “Gold it is, then.”

Their newly bought decorations arrived just in time for Christmas and they could finally decorate the tree a few days before the big holiday.

The result was a tree with mismatched, colourful ornaments and a long string of fairy lights, but neither of them really cared that it looked a bit funny.

It was _their_ tree.


	15. Day 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo this might be the last drabble i manage - i'm spending the holiday at my grandma's and i don't know how much time i'll find there. if this is the last: merry christmas to all of you!! thank you for reading and leaving kudos/comments on all of my fics, you always make my day ♥

“Is that how you wrap your presents?” Liam asks, scandalised.

“Shove off”, Louis mumbles and tries hiding them from Liam’s eyes. “We can’t all do it with measuring tape like you.”

“I don’t use measuring tape”, Liam protests. “All you need to do is check if the wrapping paper will fit around your presents.”

“Or you can just estimate if it will, like I do. Takes much less time, like.”

“Fat lot of good it’s done you”, Liam grumbles. “You can’t give this to your family like that!”

“I bloody well can! They’re used to it.”

“Well, surprise them then. Show them I’ve got a good influence on you.”

“The only influence anyone has in this relationship is me - a bad one on you”, Louis smirks. “I’ve corrupted you, Payno, and everyone knows it.”

Liam stalks over and shoves his hands into Louis’ hair, tilts his head backwards with a tight grip. “Prove them wrong”, he says, voice low, and bends down to press a bruising kiss to Louis’ mouth. For once, Louis seems too stunned to reply and Liam grins to himself when he doesn’t say anything until he’s left the room.

Liam does his own wrapping the next morning, all proper: Christmas music low in the background, humming along, wrapping paper and bows spread out across the floor. So what if he’s meticulous in his wrapping? He doesn’t like wasting paper, doesn’t like when the pattern doesn’t line up perfectly and he definitely doesn’t want any rips.

It takes a while to finish and sometimes Louis comes in to poke fun at him or to complain about one thing or the other. “Are you quite finished? I’m starving.”

“Make something, then”, Liam shrugs. “I’m busy.”

“I was done ages ago”, Louis whines and Liam narrows his eyes at him.

“Have you redone them? I don’t want to see any of those abominations under the tree when we go see your family.”

“Ohh, did you swallow a dictionary?” Louis asks but he comes closer, stands right next to where Liam is kneeling on the ground. “And yes, I have redone them - unnecessarily, if you ask me but who ever does?”

“Shut up, drama queen”, Liam laughs and wraps his fingers around Louis’ ankle for a moment, thumb rubbing across the smooth skin. “I’ll be done in a minute, if you set everything out we can make lunch then.”

Louis sighs dramatically but reels Liam in for a quick snog anyway and once he turns around back to the kitchen and can’t see him anymore, Liam grins down at his presents dumbly and speeds up with wrapping them.

He yells at Louis some more when he finds his presents later, stuffed into store-bought bags and carelessly covered by some tissue but the thing is - Liam can never be mad at Louis for long. He’s tried before and it never worked so all he does is make Louis help carry everything to the car. It’s Christmas after all.


	16. Day 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this really is the last one - i massively enjoyed this challenge, thanks for everyone who read and left kudos/comments!! merry christmas :) ♥

Niall felt like kicking himself while he squeezed in between another group of people, all of them shoving and grabbing at whatever they could reach. It was Christmas Eve, mid-morning, and he hated nothing more than having to do last minute shopping that shortly before Christmas.

It was loud, it was crowded, and the things he needed were probably sold out anyway. But he had to try - Zayn's parents were coming to celebrate Christmas with them for the first time and Niall had forgotten one ingredient for the dessert he'd planned and, much worse, part of the present for Yaser. They'd gotten him a fancy set of knives since he'd apparently taken up cooking recently. “So I have something to do once I'm retired”, he'd said, and neither Zayn nor Niall had reminded him he still had quite a few years to go until his retirement.

Unfortunately, Niall had forgotten to pick up the cook book he'd ordered to go with the knives at their local bookstore and he'd only remembered when he noticed one of the main ingredients for his trifle missing. He could only hope they'd still stored it for him, it had probably arrived a week before.

First though, he tried his luck at the supermarket, finding the last open parking spot in the car park. There were no trolleys left but since Niall only needed a packet of biscuits he didn't mind. However, when he passed the milk in his search for them, he decided it was probably best to grab another litre, and some crisps in case anyone wanted snacks. By the time he found the biscuits, his arms were full with his shopping and he'd just stacked them on top carefully when his phone started ringing. Niall sighed and precariously balanced the goods in one arm while fishing for his mobile.

It was Zayn, and he answered it with a short: “I'll call you back later babe, soz” and hung up, catching his shopping before it toppled over.

Niall queued for what felt like ages, threw his shopping into the boot of his car and glanced at his watch before jogging over to the nearby bookstore. He had to queue there as well before he could ask for his order, but luckily they found it quickly and even wrapped it for him. Back at his car, Niall checked his phone and groaned a little when he saw the amount of missed calls and texts from Zayn. He put it on speakerphone and started his car.

“Where are you?!” Zayn asked instead of a greeting.

“Hey, babe”, Niall said. “Just got done with some last minute shopping, sorry I hung up on you.”

Zayn huffed and Niall bit his lip, grinning to himself. “Did ya miss me?”

“I was worried”, Zayn mumbled. “Coulda left a note.”

“I know, sorry. I'll be home in a minute, yeah?”

Zayn sighed again, but his voice was soft when he spoke. “I'll come down to help you carry.”

 


End file.
